Food Desert - A Case Study
Food Desert takes a geographic position because of the cases like low-income urban neighborhoods, and rural towns, which have relatively poor access to food that is healthy1. This problem mainly affects individuals who do not have access to an automobile or other forms of transportation. Unhealthy eating, in the short-term, is economically cheaper; however, it has adverse consequences for low-income populations who depend on these kinds of food. The lack of access to healthy food comes along with many disadvantages to the people living within a given area. For example, poor diet can lead to obesity and other diet- related issues, which include diabetes and diseases of the heart1. Furthermore, a food desert can be due to poverty where consumer demand is too low. People of a given area may not be in a position to purchase a product offered in the market1. This may discourage retailers from opening chains within that area. Lack of retail shops, which sell healthy and affordable food products, causes a large population of people to rely on unhealthy food products. A community or an area is classified as a food desert based on the distance from nutritional food retailers1. This can be a restricted classification and scientific limitation since individual can be close to retails having nutritious foods, but cannot afford to buy them. Concisely, it is now clear that access to food can result from calculating the distance of the residence of the people to the nearest grocery store or supermarket. It is good to note that vehicles can be of advantage to general population as the problem of distance can be put aside. It is not always easy to find the best diet to live long. In order to understand food desert in detail, Hendrickson, Smith, & Eikenberry (2006) carried out a research study. This study aimed at comparing the prices, quantity, and quality of food that was available to low-income residents in the four communities in Minnesota. They did research on the prices of selected Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) foods in two rural and two urban communities that had higher than average poverty. This study focused on the difference in prices between the TFP foods offered in grocery stores and those of the TFP Market Basket Price (MBP). The price per pound of a certain food that was found in the grocery was recorded. This study revealed that 7 out of the 19 foods in the two urban areas were more expensive as compared to the TFP MBP. On the other hand, 3 out of the 19 foods studied in the rural areas were significantly more expensive than TFP MBP2. From the research carried out it was observed that, on average, food in the urban neighborhoods was more expensive as compared to food in rural areas. This study also compared the quantity of food that was available in the two urban neighborhoods to the food available in large outlying supermarkets. It was find out that there were numerous and different types of vegetables and fruits to choose from in the supermarkets. However, the urban neighborhood markets and grocery stores had limited choices of these vegetables and fruits, and they were of poor quality2. From the case findings, it is observed that the cost of food is higher as compared to the Thrifty Food Plan Market Basket Prices in the highest poverty level areas2. There were also different consumer reactions regarding price and quality of food from the different locations of the study. The study also exhibited that there was limited quantity and variety of food in these areas. Results from the study also highlighted that the communities in the rural areas of Minnesota had more barriers to food access as compared to communities in the urban areas. People from urban areas expressed a feeling of poor food quality and variety in the rural areas. However, the communities in the rural areas were satisfied with the quality and variety of there food. Rural communities mainly suffered access to food due to transportation problems. Urbanites opted to shop out of the neighborhood because of high priced food, poor quality of food, and lack of a variety of food choices2. Citations 1- Thomas, Brian Jasen. Food Deserts? Purchasing Perceptions of Food Insecure and Parterns and Secure Households in a Midwest Urban Neighborhood. Michigan: Michigan State University. Department of Sociology, 2007. Print. 2- Hendrickson, Deja, Chery Smith and Nicole Eikenberry. "Fruit and vegetable access in four low-income food deserts communities in Minnesota." 12 October 2006: 1-13. Print.